It is four months since the serial of Sailor Moon closed. It is guessed that Mr. Kousuke Fujishima becomes the third most popular cartoonist in the world at present.
He started life in an editorial staff of "Puff", a Doujinshi information magazine. Thereafter he experienced an assistant to Mr. Tatsuya Egawa, a famous cartoonist in Japan. As a result of training, Fujishima established himself as a professional cartoonist.
Egawa drew "Be Free!" when Fujishima was an assistant. Egawa is known for experimenting various design technique for cartoon in his works, and critics will go so far as to say that Tokyo University Story (Japanese word: Tokyo Daigaku Monogatari), his most important work, is like a trade fair of cartoon technique. Indeed Egawa, a former mathematics teacher of senior high school, already began the experiment inserting a box that Mr. Akira Sasanishiki of the hero of "Be Free!" named after Nishikinoakira, a star singer in Japan, and Dr. Takeshi Sumitomo, a mathematician, should recollect mathematics formulae at length.
Egawa will deal with sex in adolescent people honestly. In the meantime, Kousuke Fujishima works as if he avoided sex. Kousuke Fujishima's design technique at Volume No. 1 of Comics "You're Under Arrest," an early masterpiece, looks like "Be Free!" after all. However, "Ah! My Goddess," his most important work at present, is entirely different from Egawa's works.
Fujishima's works are popular in USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Russia people would also support them before long. Then Fujishima will result in conquering the eight of the summit. He can overcome Sailor Moon.
Actually Mr. Fujishima is friends with Ms Naoko Takeuchi. He may not aim at overcoming Sailor Moon. A jumping Urd drawn by Fujishima himself is printed in a volume of comics Sailor Moon. (See a copy of French Edition published by Glénat company if you do not have an original Japanese Edition.)
These years an announcement applying for the assistant constantly appears in his serial. His new volume is scarcely published in Japan. Sometimes a box background is blank in his serial. Instead Fujishima fans in Tokyo can watch TV-animation "You're Under Arrest" at 5:30 p.m. every Saturday on channel 6. The new director Junji Nishimura appears to be strong in action scenes with reckless driving.
Many professional cartoonists in Japan once started life in an assistant to a famous cartoonist. Few do that at present. It is guessed that this makes assistants lacking chronically. If Japanese have a firm preconceived idea that angels are blank, "Ah! My Goddess" may be soon occupied by angels everywhere. Oh! My God!
Previous Column|Next Column|Column Index|Index
KeyWords:
Ah! My Goddess|Next Column
You're Under Arrest!|Previous Column|Next Column
Sailor Moon|Next Column
Be Free!|Next Column
Tokyo University Story
